The Senate on Monday narrowly confirmed one of President Barack Obama's nominees to be a federal judge in Maryland, overcoming opposition from some conservatives who felt nominee Paula Xinis was too tough on law enforcement in her career as a lawyer and assistant federal public defender, according to AP. Senators confirmed Xinis by a 53-34 vote, shortly after Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions noted on the floor that her law firm had represented the family of Freddie Gray, who died last year after his neck was broken while he was handcuffed and shackled in the back of a Baltimore police van. Gray's death prompted riots in Baltimore, and his case has been frequently mentioned in the ongoing national conversation about police brutality. The confirmation fills a vacancy in the Maryland district that the courts have declared a "judicial emergency" because of the number of cases pending there. The seat has been vacant since October 2014, and Obama nominated Xinis in March 2015. Backed by her state's two Democratic senators, Xinis won support from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. But other Republicans noted her record as an examiner for the Office of Police Complaints in Washington from 2006 to 2011.
